Preparing London for Localised Lockdown Restrictions

Andrew Boff: How are you preparing London for localised lockdown restrictions?

The Mayor: I am working continually with London’s Public Health Officials to monitor the increasing virus rates in our city.
Officials from the SCG meet twice weekly in order to make timely recommendations to myself and London’s political leaders from London Councils with regards to further escalation or de-escalation as required. The SCG is reviewing the impacts and implications of further lockdown restrictions to make sure that we utilise the best interventions at the right time and to do everything to avoid a second complete lockdown which will be catastrophic for London’s economy.
In addition to the London wide monitoring of the increasing infection rate each borough, led by their respective Director of Public Health, wrote and published their own local outbreak plans for additional measures they may seek to put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19. These plans were peer reviewed by PHE and shared with all organisations on the SCG for awareness.

Preparing London for a Second Wave of Covid-19

Andrew Boff: How are you preparing London for a second wave of COVID-19?

The Mayor: London has re-established its Strategic Coordinating Group which is responsible for determining the strategic aim, objectives and priorities for the response to system wide risks to London. The SCG has built into its response strategy the need to manage the impacts due to the end of the EU Transition period and also other Winter Pressures. Following wave 1 of the Covid-19 Pandemic the SCG and its respective Sub-groups conducted a lessons’ review to ensure that learning from the first half of 2020 can be implemented to improve the response to this coming winter.
I jointly chair the London Transition Board with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to further London’s preparedness for future waves of the pandemic and I jointly chair the London Recovery Board to ensure that London is at the forefront of recovery form this virus and can build back stronger.

TfL Advertising (3)

Andrew Boff: In the light of the impact of Covid-19 on TfL's advertising revenue, can you provide details of any advertising or commercial opportunities TfL have taken up to address the shortfall?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) meets regularly with its media partners to discuss ways to rebuild revenues and those partners are working closely with major advertisers and
agencies to maximise the share of what is a greatly reduced overall advertising market in London and the UK.
There is no ‘quick-fix’ for this problem, but TfL is pursuing every opportunity and continues to develop innovative partnerships with a wide range of brands. Recent examples include a partnership with Dettol branding hand sanitisers on the Tube, the Google Pay sponsorship of gate line card readers and the launch of Enola Holmes on Netflix at Baker Street station. TfL is working with a large number of licensees to produce products using its Intellectual Property, the second of its collaborations with Paperchase has just launched in stores across the UK.

£500 payment to self-isolate

Leonie Cooper: How have the Strategic Coordination Group and London Transition Board supported and coordinated local authorities’ administration of the £500 payment to self-isolate?

The Mayor: The Strategic Coordination Group is responsible for determining the strategic aim, objectives and priorities for the response to system wide risks to London. Where risks sit within one agency’s remit it is for that agency to respond to that issue. London’s Local Authorities have a collective mechanism (London Local Authority Strategic Coordination) for representation and coordinated action. Through this mechanism which brings together Chief Executives collectively local authorities have coordinated the support to the administration of the payments.